Infrared Sauna
« Preconditioning hormesis also occurs with heat exposure and the sauna by upregulating heat-shock proteins. Exogenous administration of heat-shock protein 70 (HSP-70) 18 hours before administration of endotoxins increases tolerance to an endotoxin challenge[785]. »
« [785] Aneja, R., Odoms, K., Dunsmore, K., Shanley, T. P., & Wong, H. R. (2006). Extracellular Heat Shock Protein-70 Induces Endotoxin Tolerance in THP-1 Cells. The Journal of Immunology, 177(10), 7184–7192. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.177.10.7184 »
« Chapter Seven: Hot/Cold Therapy to Prime the Immune System: Turning up the Heat on Viruses and Cooling off the Cytokine Storm »
« phenomenon whereby a small amount of a toxin or stressor actually makes the body stronger against it in the future. »
« Studies in Finland show bathing in a sauna > 4 times a week reduces all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease risk by 40%[1256]. »
« [1256] Laukkanen, T., Khan, H., Zaccardi, F., & Laukkanen, J. A. (2015). Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Internal Medicine, 175(4), 542. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187 »
« Fever has functioned as a response to infections in both cold- and warm-blooded animals for millions of years.[1263] Sick animals have a higher chance of survival when they experience a fever.[1264] »
« [1263] Evans SS, Repasky EA, Fisher DT. Fever and the thermal regulation of immunity: the immune system feels the heat. Nat Rev Immunol 2015;15:335-49.
[1264] Kluger MJ. Fever. Pediatrics 1980;66:720-4. »
« Raising body temperature strengthens the immune system by increasing white blood cells, lymphocytes, neutrophils, interferons and increasing the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells,[1267],[1268] »
« [1267] DOWNING, J. F., MARTINEZ-VALDEZ, H., ELIZONDO, R. S., WALKER, E. B., & TAYLOR, M. W. (1988). Hyperthermia in Humans Enhances Interferon-γ Synthesis and Alters the Peripheral Lymphocyte Population. Journal of Interferon Research, 8(2), 143–150. doi:10.1089/jir.1988.8.143
[1268] TOMIYAMA, C., WATANABE, M., HONMA, T., INADA, A., HAYAKAWA, T., RYUFUKU, M., & ABO, T. (2015). The effect of repetitive mild hyperthermia on body temperature, the autonomic nervous system, and innate and adaptive
immunity . Biomedical Research, 36(2), 135–142. doi:10.2220/biomedres.36.135 »
« Elevated core body temperature or fever also induces heat shock proteins that inhibit viral replication[1269],[1270],[1271] and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines.[1272] »
« [1269] Hirayama E, Atagi H, Hiraki A, et al. Heat shock protein 70 is related to thermal inhibition of nuclear export of the influenza virus ribonucleoprotein complex. J Virol 2004;78:1263-70.
[1270] Conti C, De Marco A, Mastromarino P, et al. Antiviral effect of hyperthermic treatment in rhinovirus infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1999;43:822-9.
[1271] Li G, Zhang J, Tong X, et al. Heat shock protein 70 inhibits the activity of Influenza A virus ribonucleoprotein and blocks the replication of virus in vitro and in vivo. PLoS One 2011;6:e16546.
[1272] Ryan M, Levy MM. Clinical review: fever in intensive care unit patients. Crit Care 2003;7:221-5. »
« The average temperature for the human body is around 36-37°C (96.8-98.6°F).[1279] »
[1279] Sund-Levander, M., Forsberg, C., & Wahren, L. K. (2002). Normal oral, rectal, tympanic and axillary body temperature in adult men and women: a systematic literature review. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 16(2), 122–128. doi:10.1046/j.1471-6712.2002.00069.x»
« Taking a sauna has been associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk and improved heart health[1281]. »
« [1281] Hannuksela, M. L. & Ellahham, S. Benefits and risks of sauna bathing. The American journal of medicine 110, 118-126 (2001). »
« A Finnish study found that people who used the sauna 2-3 times a week had a 22% lower risk of dying from sudden cardiac events compared to those who did so only once a week[1283]. »
[1283] Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):542–548. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187 »
« subjects who went in the sauna 4-7 times a week had a 63% less likelihood to experience cardiac death and were 50% less likely to die from cardiovascular ailments compared to those who used it once a week. Their all-cause mortality was also 40% lower[1284]. »« greatest benefits were found in those whose sauna sessions lasted 19 minutes or longer. »
« [1284] The JAMA Network Journals. (2015, February 23). Sauna use associated with reduced risk of cardiac, all-cause mortality. « ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 18, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150223122602.htm »
« In obese humans, two weeks of far infrared sauna sessions significantly improves systolic and diastolic blood pressure, flow-mediated dilation, fasting glucose, body weight and body fat[1286]. »
[1286] Biro, S., Masuda, A., Kihara, T., & Tei, C. (2003). Clinical Implications of Thermal Therapy in Lifestyle-Related Diseases. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 228(10), 1245–1249. doi:10.1177/153537020322801023 »
« Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease[1287]. « Sauna sessions can increase endorphins and beneficial brain neurotrophic factors that facilitate the maintenance of already existing synaptic connections while simultaneously promoting the creation of new ones. »
« [1287] Tanjaniina Laukkanen, Setor Kunutsor, Jussi Kauhanen, Jari Antero Laukkanen, Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men, Age and Ageing, Volume 46, Issue 2, March 2017, Pages 245–249,
« Sauna Timeline References: Podstawski et al (2019) and Pilch et al (2013)[1346],[1347]
« [1346] Podstawski, R., Borysławski, K., Laukkanen, J. A., Clark, C., & Choszcz, D. (2019). The effect of prolonged thermal stress on the physiological parameters of young, sedentary men and the correlations with somatic features and body composition parameters. Homo : internationale Zeitschrift fur die vergleichende Forschung am Menschen, 70(2), 119–128. https://doi.org/10.1127/homo/2019/1016
[1347] Pilch, W., Pokora, I., Szyguła, Z., Pałka, T., Pilch, P., Cisoń, T., Malik, L., & Wiecha, S. (2013). Effect of a single finnish sauna session on white blood cell profile and cortisol levels in athletes and non-athletes. Journal of human kinetics, 39, 127–135. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2013-0075 »
« What is the Difference Between Infrared and Traditional Saunas? »
«They have a longer wavelength than visible light. There are three types of infrared (IR) waves: near-infrared, mid-infrared, and far-infrared, the last of which can potentially improve endothelial function.[1348] »
« [1348] Hsu YH, Chen YC, Chen TH, et al. Far-infrared therapy induces the nuclear translocation of PLZF which inhibits VEGF-induced proliferation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. PLoS One 2012;7:e30674. »
« IR saunas heat deeper into the tissues, where they stimulate collagen synthesis and activate mitochondrial energy production. Infrared wavelengths also increase eNOS beyond any effect from increased core body temperature, suggesting that IR saunas work not only because of the rise in heat but by their infrared waves. »
« On the other hand, regular saunas can be heated much higher, up to 200-250°F, whereas infrared maxes out at around 160-170°F. »
« In one randomized single-blind controlled trial, patients with an acute cold infection showed significantly less severe symptoms on day 2 if they inhaled hot dry sauna air through their mouth compared to dry air from the outside.[1349] »
« [1349] Pach D, Knochel B, Ludtke R, et al. Visiting a sauna: does inhaling hot dry air reduce common cold symptoms? A randomised controlled trial. Med J Aust 2010;193:730-4.»
« A randomized double-blind trial compared inhaling fully humidified warm air at 86°F for 20 minutes from an apparatus, to inhaling hot air at 109.4°F, and discovered that the latter treatment cut respiratory symptoms in half during the following days.[1350] Those treated for 30 minutes just when they started to get a cold, saw an additional 18% reduction in their cold symptoms. »
« [1350] Tyrrell D, Barrow I, Arthur J. Local hyperthermia benefits natural and experimental common colds. BMJ 1989;298:1280-3. »
